American Perception of Germany at a Record High

Every few years the German Embassy in Washington DC conducts a survey to gauge the perception Americans have on Germany in a number of areas such as common values, economic status, etc. Last December, 1,517 Americans were surveyed and a total of 55% of the people responded with an “excellent” or “good” overall view of Germany. This is the highest positive percentage seen since the first survey was taken back in 2002 and up from 41% in 2009.

In just about every category the favorability increased drastically, such as a move from 43% to 58% when asked whether respondents believed Germany plays an important role in international politics. Germany is also the highest ranking country (where english is not the primary language) that shares the most common values with the U.S. and number 4 when including native english speaking countries into the mix.

Although the numbers are still improving, American’s still have some negative views on whether Germany has done enough to make up for the Genocide of Jews during World War II. A little less than half, 44%, believe the country has done enough. This has been one of the hardest areas for Germany to overcome and it may take a few more years to change the American opinion.

You can check out the full results on the German Embassy website included in the source link, and also let us know your thoughts on the American perceptions of Germany in the comments.

Stephen founded German Pulse and LGBT Germany out of a passion to introduce Americans to a Germany that goes beyond beer and polka (although with enough beer he has been known to polka it up a bit). He's a coffee addict, lover of wine and good times, a hit in the kitchen and editor of TV commercials. You can follow him on Twitter (@StephenWFuchs) to find out a lot more.